Meowrails
by TheDoodlesAreAlive
Summary: Their road was one filled with bumps. But somehow, Nepeta Leijon managed to be the one to soften Equius Zahhak's angry heart. Takes place two sweeps before SGRUB.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck or any of the characters. As much as I would love to, that honor belongs to Andrew Hussie.**

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><p>Watching the download bar slowly inch across her computer screen was not how Nepeta had wanted to spend her afternoon. The pawbeast-like troll stared as it crawled across as slowly as possible, as though it were teasing her. This was the only reason she never relied on computers for entertainment. No matter how much she growled or hissed, it would always just move along without a care in the world. Animals were much more interesting.<p>

She wouldn't have been waiting if it hadn't been for Karkat. He had been getting tired of only seeing her when she was able to leave the forest where she lived and visit his home in the far-off city. They had been friends for as long as they could remember, but communication had always been extremely difficult for them. She had once tried to borrow Tinkerbull to deliver messages between them, but the poor lusus was simply too weak to make the large journey both ways. Since then, they had been restricted to speaking when they met face-to-face.

Last time she had met with him, however, he had pointed her in the direction of troll named Sollux Captor, who had a spare computer and a device that would allow her to access the strange world known as the internet. He instructed her to download the program Trollian as soon as she returned to her hive, and to search for the name carcinoGeneticist once she had an account.

She glanced at her sleeping lusus, just a ball of fluff by her recupercoon. The pawbeast had advised her to hunt now and work with the computer later. She wished she had listened, as clouds were starting to roll in and it looked like there would soon be too much rain for her to safely hunt in. She still had plenty of food, but it was dry. Fresh meat was always preferable to jerky.

There was a "Ding!" as her computer finished the download, and she excitedly opened the application. She was met with a blank troll list, and a search bar. She thought for a moment, and decided to name herself arsenicCatnip. She wasn't entirely sure what arsenic was, but it sounded cool and she liked it.

Once she had an account, she searched for carcinoGeneticist. The name popped up and she sent a message.

arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

AC: karkat!

CG: NEPETA, FINALLY. WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?

AC: i had to take the long way home

AC: the pawbeasts were migrating and they got in my way

AC: sorry

CG: WHATEVER, AT LEAST WE CAN FINALLY JUST CHAT.

CG: SO EVERYTHING'S OKAY OVER THERE?

AC: yep

AC: it looks like its going to start raining soon

AC: im happy i have somebody to talk to

AC: its boring here when the weather gets bad

CG: SAME HERE. THE ELECTRICITY GOES OUT ALMOST EVERY TIME IT STARTS RAINING.

CG: WAIT, DON'T YOU LIVE IN A CAVE?

CG: YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET SOAKED OUT THERE, ARE YOU?

AC: no, dont worry, ive got plenty of shelter in here

AC: its nice and warm thanks to my lusus

CG: WELL, AT LEAST THE LAZY PAWBEAST IS GOOD FOR SOMETHING

AC: shes good for more than that

AC: she protects me and teaches me how to hunt and plays with me when the weather is nice

CG: UGH, NEPETA, DO YOU KNOW WHAT A COMMA IS?

AC: a what

CG: CRAP, I FORGOT, THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES YOU'VE USED A COMPUTER.

CG: OKAY, DO YOU SEE YOUR "M" KEY?

AC: yeah

CG: RIGHT NEXT TO IT IS THE COMMA

CG: YOU CAN USE IT FOR LISTS AND STUFF

AC: do, you, mean, like, this,

CG: NO, NO NO NO. DO NOT START SPEAKING LIKE TAVROS.

CG: ALL RIGHT, JUST WATCH.

Nepeta listened to her grumpy friend and did as he instructed. By the end of the lesson, she had an idea of how to use punctuation, though she found it far easier to go without.

AC: thanks karkat!

CG: SURE. JUST MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER TO USE IT.

CG: IT GIVES ME A HEADACHE JUST READING SOME OF THE STUFF PEOPLE SEND.

AC: don't worry, i'll remember.

AC: uh…

AC: hey, karkat?

CG: WHAT?

AC: why do your letters and my letters look different?

CG: PLEASE TELL ME YOU DID NOT JUST ASK THAT.

AC: why?

CG: COME ON, NEPETA.

CG: DOESN'T THAT LUSUS OF YOURS TEACH YOU ANYTHING ABOUT BEING A NORMAL TROLL?

AC: i guess not, really.

AC: she never had a good reason to.

CG: UGH.

CG: NEPETA, MY LETTERS LOOK DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY ARE CAPITALIZED.

CG: YOU CAN CAPITALIZE YOUR LETTERS WITH SHIFT AND CAPS LOCK.

AC: Oh, I Think I Get It Now.

AC: no, that's weird looking.

AC: i like this better.

CG: IT SUITS YOU.

AC: thanks!

AC: so, why do you use all capitalized?

CG: I DON'T KNOW.

CG: IT'S JUST HOW I TYPE.

CG: EVERYBODY HAS A QUIRK, OR WHATEVER THEY CALL THEM.

CG: I WASN'T IN THE MOOD TO BE CREATIVE.

AC: should i have a quirk?

CG: ONLY IF YOU WANT ONE.

CG: SOME CAN BE REALLY OBNOXIOUS, SO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT.

Nepeta sat back and thought. She couldn't think of anything she wanted her quirk to be. This was, after all, one of the first times she had used a computer, and she had no idea what would be appropriate.

She suddenly saw a small button on the screen she hadn't seen earlier. It had the words "Random User" on it. Just to find out what it would do, she moved her mouse over the option and clicked.

Her troll log with Karkat disappeared, and was replaced with a blank white one.

"Karkat!" she cried, trying to figure out what she had done. This computer business was extremely confusing.

She looked again at the new log. There were currently only a few words right across the top.

arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT]

She giggled slightly. What an odd name. Maybe someone with such a silly tag would be willing to help her out.

She was nervous for a moment. She had never been social, being raised in the middle of the forest. Karkat was her only friend, and before now she rarely had a chance to speak with him. She had little practice when it came to communication.

Steeling herself, she typed out a few simple words.

AC: hello!

AC: i'm nepeta. what's your name?

centaursTesticle [CT] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]

To Nepeta's surprise, the chat closed, and she found herself back in the chat with Karkat. He seemed to be just as panicked as she had been.

CG: NEPETA?

CG: NEPETA?

CG: COME ON, NEPETA, THIS ISN'T FUNNY.

CG: WHERE ARE YOU?

CG: CRAP, YOU'RE NOT HURT, ARE YOU?

CG: CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, ANSWER ME NEPETA!

CG: IF YOU DON'T RESPOND SOON, I'M GOING TO GO OVER THERE WITH MY LUSUS AND FIND YOU.

AC: karkat, i'm here!

CG: NEPETA, FINALLY.

CG: YOU'RE OKAY.

AC: don't worry about me, karkat.

AC: i've got a strong lusus to protect me.

AC: i should be more worried about you, with that big crab lusus of yours.

CG: WHATEVER.

CG: I'M JUST HAPPY YOU'E OKAY, JEEZ.

CG: ANYWAY, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

AC: i think i clicked on something, and it made me start chatting with someone else.

CG: WHO?

AC: i dunno, their tag was something silly, kind of like…

AC: minotaurTesticles? or maybe centaurBalls…

CG: …

CG: NEPETA, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE TALKING TO TROLLS LIKE THAT.

AC: why not?

AC: they seemed kind of shy.

CG: LET'S JUST SAY THERE ARE CREEPY PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET.

CG: DON'T TELL ANYONE YOUR NAME AND STUFF, OR YOU'LL PROBABLY REGRET IT.

AC: aw, come on.

AC: how bad could they be?

AC: maybe they're really friendly, and you're just being a meany.

CG: NEPETA, AS YOUR BEST FRIEND, I FORBID YOU FROM TALKING TO CENTAURBALLS.

AC: aw, karkat, if i see them again, can't i just say hi?

CG: NO.

CG: NO SAYING HI, NO BEING FRIENDLY.

CG: JUST. PLAIN. NO.

AC: ugh, fiiine.

Nepeta growled. Stupid Karkat could be so bossy sometimes. He was always telling her that she needed to make other friends. But now here she was attempting to do just that, and he was saying no.

Still, she did trust him. Even if he was grumpy, he was still her best friend. He wasn't trying to be mean, he was just looking after her.

AC: you'd better introduce me to your other friends soon.

CG: SURE.

CG: TOMORROW, THOUGH. MY LUSUS WANTS ME RIGHT NOW.

AC: aw. this was fun.

CG: YEAH. YOU'D BETTER STAY LOGGED ON.

AC: i will, i promise.

AC: bye karkat!

CG: BYE, NEPETA.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading the first chapter of Meowrails, I really appreciate it. Please leave reviews and tell me if you think anything should be edited. I appreciate anything you have to say about my work.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Nepeta stood outside, feeling the rain soak her hair and roll down her shirt. She was cold and didn't particularly enjoy the water, but it was the only way she knew of to bathe.

Her lusus stood at the entrance of the cave, watching diligently. As always, her eyelids were slightly drooping, and her smiles were small. Nepeta knew, however, that should harm come to her, the powerful pawbeast would be on her attacker in a second.

She stepped back inside and grabbed a small rag sitting on a rock. She dried her hair quickly, letting it fluff up on her head. She peeled off her soaking tee-shirt and replaced it with a fresh new one, still bearing her symbol of course. She was just pulling off her pants when her computer made a "Ping!" noise. She completely pulled off the pants, picked up a new pair and read the message as she put them on.

gallowsCalibrator [GC] began trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]

GC: *GC SM1L3S 4T TH3 STR4NG3 N3W TROLL*

GC: WOULD YOU H4PP3N TO BE K4RK4T'S FR13ND?

GC: *SH3 4SKS*

AC: uh…

AC: oh!

AC: i am *ac says*

AC: my name is Nepeta.

AC: what's yours?

GC: *TH3 GR3AT DR4GON3SS M1GHT1LY R41S3S H3R H34D*

GC: MY N4M3 *SH3 ST4T3S* 1S T3R3Z1

AC: oh! i've heard about you before.

AC: karkat told me you live in a forest, just like me!

GC: H3H3, Y3P, TH4T'S M3.

GC: WH4T 3LS3 H4S H3 TOLD YOU 4BOUT?

AC: about you?

AC: not much. he doesn't talk about you guys that much

AC: he likes to tell me about what life is like for "normal trolls".

GC: NO WOND3R H3 H4SN'T S41D MUCH 4BOUT M3.

GC: NOBODY WOULD 3V3R S4Y TH4T 1'M 4 GOOD 3X4MPL3 OF NORMAL TROLL B3H4V1OR.

AC: he did say that you're kind of crazy.

AC: i thought it sounded like fun, though!

GC: YOU'R3 BOTH R1GHT.

GC: 1 4M CR4ZY, 4ND 1T 1S 3XTR3M3LY FUN.

GC: H4V3 YOU 3V3R HUNG 4 STUFF3D 4N1M4L UNT1IL STUFF1NG W4S SQU1SH1NG OUT 1TS 34RS?

AC: no…

GC: 1 W1LL F1ND 4 W4Y TO SHOW YOU SOM3 DAY.

GC: YOU H4V3 NOT KNOWN 3XC1T3M3NT UNT1L YOU'R3 B3TT1NG W1TH YOURS3LF ON WHO W1LL LOS3 TH31R H3AD F1RST.

AC: that sounds fun and all…

AC: but since we can't do that right now, why don't you tell me about that thing you were doing earlier?

GC: WH4T TH1NG?

AC: you know, that thing with the stars and stuff.

GC: OH, TH4T W4S ROL3PL4Y1NG.

GC: 1T'S PR3TTY POPUL4R WH3R3 1'M FROM.

AC: it looks like fun.

GC: 1T 1S!

GC: YOU C4N CR34T3 4 CH4R4CT3R 4ND GO ON QU3STS, 4ND FORM GROUPS TO F1GHT 1N.

GC: NON3 OF MY ROL3PL4Y BUDD13S 4R3 ON R1GHT NOW, SO W3 COULD S3T YOU UP, 1F YOU L1K3.

AC: sure! that sounds great.

Working together, Nepeta and Terezi spent the next half hour getting Nepeta ready should she ever choose to play the game. It would have been difficult to manage all of the stats, character info and rules of roleplaying, but luckily Terezi knew everything about it quite well. She bragged a few times about how she had not only memorized the rules, but even created a few of them. Nepeta wasn't sure whether she was joking or serious, so she gave a, "nice one!" and continued without much mention of it.

As time went on, though, they became less focused on role-play and more just chatting. Nepeta felt that Terezi had a far more interesting life than she did, but that didn't stop the other girl from asking all sorts of questions.

GC: SO, WH4T D1D YOU DO W1TH YOURS3LF B3FOR3 TH3 1NT3RN3T?

AC: not much.

AC: it was mostly hunting and sleeping, though of course i ate and went to the waste disposal room.

AC: i guess the most exciting thing that ever happened was when we could leave home for a few days to visit karkat.

AC: we didn't get to very often.

CG: SOUNDS PR3TTY BOR1NG.

AC: maybe it was.

AC: i've never had internet before, so i don't know what i would have thought of my life if i had used it before.

The conversation slowly turned away from Nepeta so that she began to ask Terezi questions. She was more than happy to answer them.

AC: so, how long have you known karkat?

CG: 4BOUT THR33 SW33PS. W3'V3 B33N FR13NDS MOST OF OUR L1V3S.

CG: WH4T 4BOUT YOU?

AC: we met each other around a sweep and a half ago.

AC: we didn't really start talking until last sweep, though.

CG: 1 TH1NK H3 TOLD M3 4BOUT YOU 4T SOM3 PO1NT. 1T W4S B3FOR3 H3 KN3W YOUR N4M3.

AC: really? what did he say?

GC: 1 DON'T R3M3MB3R MUCH.

GC: 1 TH1NK H3 W4S COMPL41N1NG 4BOUT SOM3 STR4NG3 N3W G1RL 1N H1S TOWN.

GC: H3 W4SN'T 4 F4N OF YOU WH3N YOU M3T. :[

AC: i don't think i liked him that much either.

AC: he was really rude, and called me a bunch of names for one little accident.

They talked more, and asked each other questions. Eventually, though, Terezi had to leave, and Nepeta was left alone once again. She walked up to the cave entrance and sighed. It was still pouring.

Her lusus walked up to her and nuzzled her hand. Nepeta smiled and scratched the large kitty behind her ears. She purred, and Nepeta did her best to imitate the sound. She giggled as the noise tickled her throat.

Her lusus yawned, and nudged Nepeta over to a warm pile of pelts. They snuggled up together, and Nepeta gladly took a nice, long nap.

Not everyone was sleeping at that moment, though.

centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]

CT: D- E%cuse me, miss.

CT: D- If you are not busy at the moment, I would like to ask why you decided to contact me.

CT: D- I was very busy when you did so, and I do not appreciate being bothered by mid-bloods such as yourself.

CT: D- If there was any real reasoning behind your actions I would greatly appreciate you informing me what that would be.

CT: D- Miss?

CT: D- What a shame. It appears you are out at the moment.

CT: D- I will contact you again at my earliest convienience.

centaurTesitcle [CT] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]

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><p><strong>And there's the second chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait, I wasn't allowed on my computer for a while, so I couldn't work on it at all.<strong>

**I promise that Equius will play a larger role next chapter, whenever that appears. Reviews are appreciated, and thanks again for reading!**


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